I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 179 You are looking for death

In the depths of winter, a sudden heavy snowfall covered most of Jiangzhou with ice and snow.

Wangjia Town is an unremarkable little town. There is an inn in the town that provides a place for passing merchants and travelers to rest and spend the night.

In recent days, most of the people staying at the inn have been martial arts practitioners, all carrying swords and knives. Many of them have bad tempers and are prone to violence and verbal abuse.

The innkeeper and waiters were somewhat afraid of these people, but since they were open to business, they could only serve them cautiously.

Fortunately, these martial arts figures were in a hurry, as if they had important business to attend to. They stayed overnight and left as soon as it was light, without causing any trouble.

On this day, another heavy snow fell. Just past noon, several groups of people arrived and quickly filled the small inn.

But customers kept coming in, and even the first floor was almost full.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper was somewhat frightened, feeling that something bad was about to happen if things continued like this.

Sure enough, what are you afraid of?

Suddenly, several fierce-looking martial arts practitioners barged in, shouting, "Come on, prepare three superior rooms and heat up some water."

The innkeeper quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "I'm so sorry, esteemed guests, our inn is fully booked and we really have no rooms available."

boom!
One of the bald, burly men slammed his knife on the table. "What did you say? No house? In this freezing weather, do you expect us to sleep on the streets?"

The entire inn fell silent immediately, and everyone turned to look at them.

The shopkeeper was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground. "Don't kill... me..."

At this moment, a thin waiter rushed over, bowing and scraping, "Sirs, you are all very important people, why bother with him? There are indeed no rooms available. I can go and talk to the previous roomkeepers to see if we can spare one room."

The bald man was finally satisfied. "Aren't you going yet?"

……

The other people in the inn watched coldly, no one willing to meddle.

In a corner sat a grandfather and granddaughter. The girl, who looked about sixteen or seventeen, said angrily, "Everyone says that Jiangzhou is full of selfish and indifferent people. After seeing it today, I can confirm that the rumors are true."

An old man holding a pipe scolded, "Fang'er, watch your words."

Just then, a plump middle-aged man who looked like a merchant at the next table asked her with a smile, "Since you can't stand by and watch, why don't you stand up for them and fight for justice?"

The girl said, "I can't beat them anyway."

"Young lady, do you know that there is a rule in Jiangzhou?"

"What rules?"

"Those who dare not do it themselves but encourage others to do it, and then criticize others for not doing it, are just troublemakers. In Jiangzhou, such troublemakers are beaten to death."

This remark immediately drew a burst of laughter.

"you--"

The girl was furious and almost slammed her hand on the table.

"Fang'er".

The old man holding the pipe pulled his granddaughter back, stood up, bowed repeatedly, and apologized to the others, saying, "The little girl is ignorant and speaks rudely, offending everyone."

Fang'er was furious, wishing she could tear the middle-aged merchant's mouth apart.

But then he whispered, "Just wait, the show's about to start."

Fang'er ignored him, but he still aroused her curiosity.

At this moment, a middle-aged man with an extraordinary bearing came down from upstairs, followed by the waiter from earlier.

"So it's you who want us to give up our houses?"

The middle-aged man approached the group of fierce-looking men and asked them a question.

The bald, burly man's expression turned somewhat serious, but he still said, "Not bad."

"Humph."

The middle-aged man sneered, then suddenly raised his hand and struck the burly man in the chest, sending him flying. The other three men also seemed to be struck at the same time, spitting blood and flying away as well.

Inside the inn, there was a deathly silence.

Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that this is a fourth-rank master. In the martial arts world, he belongs to the top tier of the second class.

These four burly men dared to be so arrogant, so their strength was naturally not weak either, probably at the fifth rank. But when faced with such a master, they still couldn't even withstand a single move.

The bald, burly man, coughing up blood, asked, "Would you dare leave your name?"

The middle-aged man turned his head and said, "Gu Jun He Yanwen."

Then he turned and went upstairs.

The He family of Gu County is a well-known family in Jiangzhou. Their ancestors once produced a first-rank expert, and now they have a second-rank expert in charge.

The He family has always acted domineeringly, so these four people have really messed with them.

They were naturally too ashamed to stay there, so they got up from the ground and prepared to leave.

……

Fang'er watched the spectacle unfold and couldn't help but ask the middle-aged merchant, "What's the background of the He family?"

The middle-aged merchant did not answer, but suddenly stood up and walked towards the four men, laughing loudly, "The Four Fiends of Lingdong, you've finally met your match!"

The four men turned their heads and saw a sharp glint of a blade.

Blood splattered, and four heads fell to the ground.

The middle-aged merchant happily took out a bag, put the heads inside, pushed open the door, and ran out.

This bloody turn of events stunned Fang'er. She never expected that the seemingly harmless middle-aged man, who had just appeared to be a merchant, would suddenly turn on her and kill people.

The old man pulled his granddaughter down to sit and said, "This man must be a bounty hunter who has been eyeing those four for a long time. Now that we have the chance, we'll cut off their heads and take the reward to the Six Doors."

Upon hearing this, Fang'er felt a chill run down her spine.

At this moment, she saw three people get up and leave the inn.

The old man said, "Don't look." A group of people at the next table whispered, "Those guys must be going to steal a kill. I remember the bounty for the Four Fiends of Lingdong is quite high..."

Stealing people's heads?
Such niche vocabulary.

Fang'er had always heard her senior brothers talk about the dangers of the martial world, but now she finally witnessed its bloodshed and treachery firsthand.

The inn's door closed again, and four headless corpses lay on the ground, the thick stench of blood permeating the entire inn.

The shopkeeper was terrified, hiding behind the counter, muttering, "Murder..."

It was the waiter who mustered up his courage and went over to drag the four corpses outside. He then brought over some snow water and washed the ground several times.

……

After a while, several people from the Six Doors pushed open the door and walked in, instantly silencing the inn and drawing everyone's attention.

Once they realized there was only one patrolman in blue robes and the rest were all in black, they returned to normal.

One of the constables complained, "Boss, why did this lousy job fall on our shoulders? In this awful weather, we have to come to this godforsaken place..."

Before he could finish speaking, his companion pulled him.

He then realized that something was wrong with the atmosphere in the inn and that he could smell blood.

"Sir, you've come at the perfect time..." Just then, the shopkeeper saw them and rushed over as if he had seen a savior. He told them what had just happened, with tears streaming down his face.

Upon hearing the name "Four Fiends of Lingdong," the constables' expressions changed.

These "Four Fiends of Lingdong" were vicious people active in the Lingshan area. They all had the cultivation level of the fifth rank, and they ran rampant for a time. They acted without any scruples and were extremely cruel.

If they were to encounter these four vicious men, they would truly die without even knowing how.

Among them, the strongest was only at the seventh rank.

Upon hearing that the people living upstairs were from the He family of Gu County, who had injured the Four Fiends of Lingdong, a bounty hunter ran out and cut off the heads of the four fiends.

The constables finally relaxed, thinking, "Good riddance!"

Only Zhuang Xiaotian, the leader, remained solemn. So many experts had gathered in a small inn in Wangjia Town; it was unimaginable how many more people would flood into Qingfeng City.

How many of them are ruthless killers like the "Four Fiends of Lingdong"?
"We already know about this. Those four are wanted criminals..." Zhuang Xiaotian used a few polite words to get rid of the shopkeeper.

Then, they found an empty table and sat down.

The subtle, almost imperceptible gazes around them made them somewhat uneasy.

Suddenly, a young constable spoke up, "Boss, everyone says that Chen Erlang, who ranked sixth on the Qingyun List, is your close friend. Is that true?"

Before Zhuang Xiaotian could speak, a senior constable beside him interjected, "Of course it's true! Didn't you see that the boss was promoted to a seventh-rank patrol officer right after breaking through to the seventh rank? You don't know, do you? That Chen Erlang and Lord Du are close friends. Lord Du naturally treats the boss differently."

Zhuang Xiaotian smiled but didn't say anything more.

He knew he was inexperienced and had risen to power too quickly, so it wasn't hard to understand why his subordinates were complaining.

He didn't care about this; he had long since accepted reality that he was of average talent. His achievements in this life were limited, and making Chen Ming as a friend was the greatest opportunity of his life.

boom!
Suddenly, a sharp, slamming sound rang out.

The group looked over and saw a drunken man dressed in fine clothes. The sword on the table was also quite valuable, and a beautiful young woman was sitting at the same table.

The man sized Zhuang Xiaotian up and down, his face full of disdain. "You're friends with that despicable Chen Ming? You really are low-class, making friends with a mere seventh-rank inspector. How laughable..."

Upon hearing this, many people in the inn pricked up their ears.

The biggest event in Jiangzhou this year has been the competition for the Qingyun Ranking. Among them, Chen Ming is the most famous, firstly because Qingfeng City has not produced any outstanding talents on the Qingyun Ranking for many years.

Secondly, Chen Ming came from an ordinary background, neither from a prestigious family nor a sect. His ability to climb the Qingyun Ranking speaks volumes about his legendary status.

The richly dressed man spoke with disdain for Chen Ming, clearly indicating he was no ordinary person.

Only the grandfather and grandson from out of town had never heard of Chen Ming, but they knew about him from the Qingyun Ranking and could roughly judge his importance.

Zhuang Xiaotian's expression changed, and he stood up abruptly, saying in a deep voice, "What is the reason for this young master to slander my friend like this?"

"roll!"

The man in fine clothes threw the wine glass in his hand, hitting Zhuang Xiaotian squarely in the chest and sending him flying.

How dare a mere seventh-rank inspector utter such nonsense in front of him?
"Boss."

The constables were taken aback and quickly went over to help him up, angrily asking, "Who are you? How dare you injure someone from the Six Doors?"

The man in fine clothes merely sneered, his demeanor showing utter disregard for the Six Doors.

The black-clad constables couldn't help but feel uneasy.

At this moment, Zhuang Xiaotian, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, broke free from the grasp of several subordinates, drew his sword, and shouted, "No matter who you are, I will not allow you to insult Brother Chen like this!"

"Long-winded!"

The man in fine clothes threw his chopsticks, which hit Zhuang Xiaotian squarely in the knee, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud.

The richly dressed man sneered, "Even a fifth-rank captain wouldn't dare speak like that in front of me—"

Zhuang Xiaotian forcefully threw the knife in his hand, shattering the wine pot in front of him on the table.

"you--"

He flew into a rage, drew his sword, and threw it at Zhuang Xiaotian.

The girl standing nearby was startled. "Brother, stop!"

Just as Zhuang Xiaotian was about to die on the spot, suddenly, a sword flew in from outside, smashed through the door, and struck the sword that was stabbing at Zhuang Xiaotian. The sword, still in its momentum, struck the man in Chinese clothes squarely in the chest.

"Wow--"

The man in fine clothes was sent flying by the sword, crashing into the wall behind him and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Jiang, Shi, Hua, you're asking for death!"

An angry voice rang out in the inn.

Jiang Shihua?
Everyone in the inn was startled when they heard the name.

(End of this chapter)